In 1942, the completion of Grand Coulee Dam was hailed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Seventy years later, most of us aren’t aware of what that dam or the others on the Columbia River continue to do for us.

To commemorate Grand Coulee’s completion, the Bonneville Power Administration commissioned legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie to write songs praising the dam that harnessed the mighty Columbia River.

Guthrie toured the region from the Bonneville Dam to Grand Coulee, and within a month he had written 26 songs, the most famous of which is “Roll On Columbia.” read more »

Thanks to state Sen. Christine Rolfes for championing the extension of the Self-Employment Assistance Bill (SEAP) which makes it possible for those who are qualified and are receiving state unemployment bene-fits to continue to receive benefits while dev-eloping their own small business start-ups.

Rolfes’ senate bill was inspired by a program active in Kitsap County called Washington Community Alliance for Self-Help — also known as Washington C.A.S.H. Whether people have been laid off in the middle of their career, have just exited military service or have an idea for a new product, the program helps them match their dreams with a workable business plan. read more »

On April 21, 1962, the Seattle World’s Fair opened. The “Century 21 Exhibition” ran for six months, drew 11 million visitors, turned a profit and left the Northwest with a wonderful Seattle Center.

A half-century later, many of the fair’s landmarks remain, and the73-acre center is a gathering place for people from all walks of life. It is Seattle’s Central Park.

The Space Needle has become Seattle’s landmark. Conceived in an architect’s note-book, it was constructed in eight months at a cost of roughly $3 million in private funds. read more »

Our state will be forced to hold a special election in November to replace former U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee for just one month — an election that will no doubt be confusing for voters, burdensome for candidates seek-ing to replace him, and enormously costly for us taxpayers — at a time when we can least afford any unexpected additional and/or unnecessary expenses. Inslee, a Democrat, as you know, resigned his congressional seat so he could campaign for governor on a full-time basis. read more »

I did not anticipate a second shakedown cruise in less than a year, but here goes, starting over again in a new job.

And it’s one I’m glad to have here at the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal, even though I truly enjoyed my previous job as editor of the Port Orchard Independent newspaper and expected it would be a long-term gig. Didn’t work out that way, though.

Just seven months after I moved here last summer from Yakima — and only a couple months after signing a mortgage to buy our family a house — I was jettisoned as Sound Publishing made some extreme (and ill-advised, I believe) staff cuts in a desperate attempt to keep its sinking ship afloat. read more »

We finally have a state budget, one that took two special sessions and one regular session to reach an agreement. Going back to last summer, the leadership in Olympia knew we had a budget problem, but we didn’t get across the finish line until they started to realize that dragging the budget efforts into a third special session would get the voting public upset.

So why did it take so long? First, we had a lame duck governor who had little or no leverage in bring-ing the two parties to the table. (Lord knows she tried, but we call it lame duck for a reason.) Then the Republican Senate went rogue when it recruited three members of the Democratic Party and announced a budget without informing the governor. read more »

If President Obama, as predicted, wins his election for a second term as President of the United States, he will be less beholden to American labor for his victory than for his first election in 2008.

In 2008, he hungered for the financial support and army of volunteers that the unions freely gave him. He desperately needed unions to help him carry the key industrial states that assured his election as president.

President Obama did very little to express his appreciation for labor’s support, except in an occasional speech. He forgot his promise to press for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) within 100 days of his election. AFL-CIO unions, under heavy attack, were counting on EFCA to “level the playing field between labor and management.” read more »

There are two kinds of politicians, the ones who run to be somebody and the ones who run to get something done. The first kind join every committee, study things to death, show up at every ribbon cutting, and keep getting re-elected. They rarely get anything of significance accomplished because they are not willing to hold themselves accountable for doing what they say they are going to do. It’s called the safe way to remain in public office.

Then there are the second kind of politicians, my favorites, who run because they have a passion to serve people by getting things done and leaving the place better than they found it. read more »

As we go to press, two Republicans have announced their intention to challenge County Commissioners Charlotte Garrido and Rob Gelder come November. Chris Tibbs, who ran against Gelder last time wants a re-match, and Linda Simpson, who ran for the legislature against Fred Finn, wants to take on Garrido. Redistricting moved Simpson from the 35th into Garrido’s territory, although she didn’t move.

It’s no secret Tibbs, who touts himself as a “successful businessman,” declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2005, over a paltry $12,658.97. That makes his claims of business acumen somewhat suspect at best. read more »